TORONTO, ON - On Monday, Athletics Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) nominated the 65 athletes to represent Canada at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, August 5-21, 2016. Over 30 athletes named to the team will represent Ontario at the Olympic Games this summer.
The team was selected after athletes earned their spots at the 2016 Canadian Championships and Rio Selection Trails, which took place July 7-10 at Foote Field in Edmonton, Alberta.
€œIt’s great to see the sheer depth of this years’ team€ says Kyle Smith, Athlete and Coach Development Coordinator at Athletics Ontario. €œCanada’s really stepping up and becoming one of the top nations to watch at this years’ Olympics. Between pole vault, hurdles, the 4x100M relay teams, mid and long distance runners as well as the decathlon, we’ve fielded one of the most versatile teams to represent Canada and Ontario.€
For two mid-distance runners, Rio will prove to be their second chance at the podium. Nate Brannen competed in the 1500M at the 2012 London Olympics, where he fell during the race to miss his spot in the finals. Hilary Stellingwerff will also be on the hunt to secure her spot on top of the podium for Canada in the Women’s 1500M after placing a disappointing 14th at the 2012 London Olympics.
Ontario At The Games
Ontario athletes representing Canada at the Rio Olympics include:
| NAME | SPORT | HOMETOWN | CLUB AFFILIATION |
| Kelsie Ahbe | Pole Vault | Toronto | Unattached |
| Mohammed Ahmed | 5000M, 10,000M | St. Catharines | Niagara Olympic Club |
| Mobolade Ajomale | 4x100M relay | Richmond Hill | Flying Angels |
| Shawn Barber | Pole Vault | Toronto | Project Athletics Track and Field Club |
| Khamica Bingham | 4x100M relay | Brampton | Brampton Track Club |
| Melissa Bishop | 800M | Eganville | Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club |
| Nathan Brannen | 1500M | Cambridge | Phoenix Athletics Association |
| Aaron Brown | 100M, 200M, 4x100M relay | Toronto | Flying Angels |
| Alicia Brown | 400m, 4x400M relay | Ottawa | University of Toronto Athletics Club |
| Chanice Chase | 400m Hurdles, 4x400M relay | Toronto | Durham Legion |
| Reid Coolsaet | Marathon | Hamilton | Speed River Track and Field Club |
| Brittany Crew | Shot Put | East York | York University Track Club |
| Andre De Grasse | 100M, 200M, 4x100M relay | Markham | The Speed Academy Athletics Club |
| Derek Drouin | High Jump | Corunna | Sarnia Athletics Southwest Track and Field Club |
| Krista DuChene | Marathon | Brantford | Unattached |
| Crystal Emmanuel | 100M, 200M, 4x100M relay | East York | Flying Angels |
| Phylicia George | 100M Hurdles, 4x100M relay | Markham | Flying Angels |
| Nikkita Holder | 100M Hurdles | Pickering | Flying Angels |
| Matthew Hughes | 3000M Steeplechase | Oshawa | Unattached |
| Sekou Kaba | 110M Hurdles | Ottawa | Ottawa Lions |
| Marissa Kurtimah | 4x100M relay | Guelph | Extreme Velocity |
| Oluwasegun Makinde | 4x100M relay | Ottawa | Ottawa Lions |
| Lanni Marchant | 10,00M, Marathon | London | London Western Track and Field Club |
| Brandon McBride | 800M | Windsor | Windsor Legion Track and Field Club |
| Taylor Milne | 3000M Steeplechase | Callander | Speed River Track and Field |
| Noelle Montcalm | 400M Hurdles | Belle River | University of Windsor Athletics Club |
| Tim Nedow | Shot Put | Brockville | London Western Track and Field Club |
| Annika Newell | Pole Vault | Scarborough | Project Athletics Track and Field |
| Alysha Newman | Pole Vault | London | London Western Track and Field Club |
| Brendon Rodney | 200M, 4x100M relay | Brampton | Hamilton Elite |
| Anthony Romaniw | 800M | Hamilton | Speed River Track and Field |
| Andrea Seccafien | 5000M | Guelph | University of Toronto Track and Field |
| Gabriela Stafford | 1500M | Toronto | University of Toronto Track and Field Club |
| Damian Warner | Decathlon | London | London Western Track and Field Club |
Ontario coaches representing Canada at the Rio Olympics include:
- Dave Scott Thomas - endurance - Guelph (Speed River TFC)
- Charles Allen - sprint & hurdles - Brampton (Unattached)
- Glenroy Gilbert - sprints & relays - Ottawa (Ottawa Lions TFC)
- Richard Parkinson - throws - Stouffville (York University TFC)
For a complete listing of athletes and coaches named to Team Canada, check Athletics Canada.
2016 Rio Selection Trails Recap
Canada’s fastest man, Andre De Grasse posted a strong performance at the Trials running a sub-10 in the Men’s 100M race with a time of 9.99. Former 4x100M relay teammate, Aaron Brown finished a close second with a time of 10.07.
On the Women’s side, Crystal Emmanuel of the Flying Angels became the talk of circuit as she dominated the women’s 100M race with a staggering time of 11.26. Emmanuel held her title as Canada’s fastest women as she took first in the 200M with a time of 22.83.
Damian Warner of the London Western Track and Field Club will look to add Olympic gold to his resume as he represents Canada in the Men’s Decathlon.
After an impressive season with Mississippi State University, Windsor Legion’s Brandon McBride will dawn the red and white Maple Leaf at the 2016 Rio Olympics in the Men’s 800M. McBride posted an impressive a time of 1:45.25, a full second ahead of his competition.
The most talked about performance of the weekend was Brendon Rodney of Hamilton Elite who competed in the Men’s 200M against Toronto’s Aaron Brown and Canadian record holder, Andre De Grasse. Rodney posted a jaw dropping 19.96 to become the second Canadian in history to go sub-20 in the 200M, in what some may consider as less than favourable conditions.